{"id":36592,"date":"2026-03-06T11:00:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T18:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/?p=36592"},"modified":"2026-03-07T11:35:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T18:35:29","slug":"building-or-adding-on-do-you-need-a-zoning-variance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/?p=36592","title":{"rendered":"Building or Adding on- Do You Need a Zoning Variance?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"small

photo credit: Jed Owen via Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

Arizona’s centrally located Maricopa County occiupies the entire valley surrounding the state capital of Phoenix, and is the 4th largest county by population in the U.S.. To aleviate some of this massive county’s scarcity of affordable housing, the Board of Supervisors recently approved a zoning ordinance modernizing and loosening regulations for the construction of ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Unit). What this means is that on single-family lots of one acre or larger, you may build additional, fully-equipped dwellings, often called casitas, to serve as long-term rental units.<\/p>\n

Some controversy has arisen where this ordinance conflicts with other zoning laws that were previously in place. For example, areas classified as Historic Districts have stringent and very specific rules to maintain their character and historic designation. Other points of contention are arising in the town of Queen Creek, where, to date, over 850 accessory dwelling units have been built under the new ordinance, the highest number in any Phoenix Valley city.<\/p>\n

Zoning ordinances can severely restrict what you are allowed to do with the property you own. But though these rules may \u00a0appear to infringe on your rights, they are actually in place to protect your property. Nevertheless, there may occasionally be ways to get around zoning restrictions, if an argument can be made to allow for a zoning variance.<\/p>\n

What is a Zoning Variance?<\/b><\/p>\n

If you’re in the process of designing a new home or adding an addition to your current home, you’re likely aware of the term zoning: the government\u2019s way of controlling the physical development of land and the kinds of uses to which each individual property may be put. Designed to protect you, your neighbors, and the community from undesirable, or inappropriate, land uses and\/or construction, zoning laws in many communities can be very rigid and inflexible.<\/p>\n

However, if you’re building plans are thwarted by zoning rules and regulations, you may be able to acquire a zoning variance<\/p>\n

A variance is a request made to your local jurisdiction to deviate from current zoning requirements. If granted, a variance will allow you to use your land in a way that is normally not permitted by the zoning ordinance, such as building your home a bit higher than allowed, or adding a shed or guest house on a smaller lot or closer to your property line.<\/p>\n

However, do not view a variance as something that changes the zoning law because it does not. Rather, it waives a certain requirement of the zoning ordinance f. For example, it may allow the owner of an odd-shaped lot to reduce slightly the setback requirements in order to accommodate a building, or permit the building of a gazebo in the back yard.<\/p>\n

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. \u00a92017. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information, Call or Text: 602-999-0952<\/strong>
\neMail: golfarizona@cox.net<\/a>
\nBill Salvatore<\/strong> \/ Arizona Elite Properties
\nYour Valley Property Team
\nResidential Sales, Marketing, and Property Management
\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Selling Arizona for more than 20 years<\/a><\/p>\n

Founder: AZVHV Arizona Veterans Helping Veterans
\nRecipient: East Valley Tribune’s: Best Gilbert, Arizona Realtor<\/p>\n

\"Round<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

What’s My Home Worth?\u00a0 FREE Market Analysis of Your Arizona Home<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

MLS Property Search<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Set Up a Custom Search<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arizona’s centrally located Maricopa County occiupies the entire valley surrounding the state capital of Phoenix, and is the 4th largest county by population in the U.S.. To aleviate some of this massive county’s scarcity of affordable housing, the Board of Supervisors recently approved a zoning ordinance modernizing and loosening regulations for the construction of ADUs… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[321783923,321781498,321781309,321784267,30977315,321783512],"tags":[321782478,321783374,321781593,321783689,321784442,321783255,321784441],"class_list":["post-36592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-construction","category-home-improvement","category-law-and-legal-issues","category-maricopa-county","category-real-estate-2","category-rental-property","tag-find-a-home-with-a-casita","tag-free-mls-home-search","tag-historical-buildings","tag-real-estate-regulations","tag-rental-units","tag-when-do-i-need-a-building-permit","tag-zoning-laws"],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50664,"url":"http:\/\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/?p=50664","url_meta":{"origin":36592,"position":0},"title":"Arizona, the State of New Construction","author":"Bill Salvatore- Realtor","date":"May 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Why Buy a New Construction Home in Arizona? According to the Arizona Republic, Maricopa County, the largest county in Arizona by both area and population and commonly known as 'The Valley', led the nation in new home construction in 2024. 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But the impact on taxes is still to come. New valuations from the Maricopa County Assessor show that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Arizona Real Estate"","block_context":{"text":"Arizona Real Estate","link":"http:\/\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/?cat=321781156"},"img":{"alt_text":"Arizona - Search all area New Construction - Bill Salvatore, Realty Executives East Valley - 602-999-0952","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Feature_page_NewCon.jpg?fit=1140%2C500&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Feature_page_NewCon.jpg?fit=1140%2C500&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Feature_page_NewCon.jpg?fit=1140%2C500&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Feature_page_NewCon.jpg?fit=1140%2C500&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Feature_page_NewCon.jpg?fit=1140%2C500&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27000,"url":"http:\/\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/?p=27000","url_meta":{"origin":36592,"position":2},"title":"The Housing Buzz: Maricopa County AZ Cracks Texas’ 8-Year Ceiling","author":"Bill Salvatore- Realtor","date":"February 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Texas has long been the bar against which all other Real Estate markets were measured. But recently the Phoenix Valley in Arizona, or to be more precise Maricopa County burst that particular bubble, and with style I might add. The influx of new residents to the Valley of the Sun\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Investment"","block_context":{"text":"Investment","link":"http:\/\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/?cat=28559"},"img":{"alt_text":"Phoenix Real Estate - Seller and Buyer Discounts - Bill Salvatore, Realty Executives East Valley - 602-999-0952","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/FeaturePic_Phoenix.jpg?fit=1140%2C500&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/FeaturePic_Phoenix.jpg?fit=1140%2C500&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/FeaturePic_Phoenix.jpg?fit=1140%2C500&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/FeaturePic_Phoenix.jpg?fit=1140%2C500&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/FeaturePic_Phoenix.jpg?fit=1140%2C500&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13227,"url":"http:\/\/yourvalleyproperty.com\/?p=13227","url_meta":{"origin":36592,"position":3},"title":"Maricopa County Parks, preserving wilderness in the center of suburbia","author":"Bill Salvatore- Realtor","date":"March 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"New Maricopa County Park in the works Buckeye, Arizona - We regularly hike the well maintained trails of Maricopa's regional park system. 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